The present invention concerns a system and method for covering and protecting buried pipes or cables from inadvertent disturbance or damage due do nearby excavation or other ground site rearrangement.
To prevent buried pipes or cables from being damaged or disturbed during earthwork operations, it is known to use covering and protecting devices embedded in the earth and arranged above buried pipes or cables. In particular, US patent application publication 2012/0224923 discloses a device that includes a substantially planar plate made of a single piece of synthetic material and having complementary assembly means at the front and back edges which are arranged so as to enable the assembly of two adjacent plates. The complementary assembly means is designed to enable two adjacent plates to be hinged about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the adjacent plates. Also, the plate comprises a plurality of through-openings.
These covering devices firstly allow the protection of the buried pipes or cables against deteriorations caused by the scoop of a mechanical digger, and secondly they warn operators of the presence of pipes or cables so that the digger does not dig deeper into the soil where it can contact or damage the buried pipes or cables.
There still remains a need for improved devices to facilitate installation and protection of such buried pipes or cables, and this need is now addressed by the present invention.